I decided tonight to go work on the car and decided to start on the firewall. It had some 'crispy' areas on it. I opened the inspection cover on top of the cowl (under the front fender) and noticed some dirt and debris inside. I knew what caused the rust build up, this was a sad confirmation. Look at the build up of dirt and debris like old leaves, pine needles and cotton from little critters that I pushed out. Water gets trapped in this stuff and eats away the bare metal.
I started to scrape at the rust and it kept flaking off piece by piece. I started to Poke at it more to get it loose and noticed the inside had some major problems as well. So, I ground off the face of the firewall where the problem is at and I cut the outside of the drain tank ... well, take a look at what I found. Nasty, but typical (sigh). Time to get to work and get it fixed. Don't want to get water on my wifes feet.
If you look inside, there is a 'drip rail' that directs water around the vent openings and fan inlet. It was in rough shape as well, but still usable. In order to get to the rusty metal, it has to be removed. Look what I found behind it. EEK!
I cut out the firewall section next so I can get better access inside the drain area. This would have had to been replaced anyways; so...get it out of the way.
To make this process a little eaiser, I like to keep the factory curves or edges. Welding to these areas are much better than flat panel spots, which can cause 'oil canning'. In areas like this, you dont have the luxury to use a hammer and dolly to straighten it out.
Always try to cut your pieces out cleanly so you can use them to make your patterns. I make my patterns from thick 'chip board'. It can be picked up at your local upholstery supply store.
Stay tuned for more on this project.
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